Jared Drew Nickens (born December 27, 1994) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player for the

KW Titans KW Titans (formally known as Kitchener-Waterloo Titans Basketball Club) are a professional basketball team based in Regional Municipality of Waterloo and competing the National Basketball League of Canada. The team plays its home games at Kitch ...

of the

National Basketball League of Canada The National Basketball League of Canada (NBL Canada; french: Ligue nationale de basketball du Canada) is a Canadian professional men's minor league basketball organization. The NBL Canada was founded in 2011, when three existing Premier Basketba ...

. He played college basketball for

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; ...

Early life and high school career

Nickens attended the

Westtown School Westtown School is a Quaker, coeducational, college preparatory day and boarding school for students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade, located in West Chester, Pennsylvania, United States, 20 miles west of Philadelphia. Founded in 1799 ...

near

West Chester, Pennsylvania West Chester is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough and the county seat of Chester County, Pennsylvania, Chester County, Pennsylvania. Located within the Delaware Valley, Philadelphia metropolitan area, the borough had a population of 18,461 at the ...

, where he was coached by Seth Berger. He was considered a four-star recruit by

247Sports.com 247Sports is an American network of websites that focus mainly on athletic recruitment in college football and basketball. It is owned and operated by Paramount. The website hosts a large network of team-specific subsites, with each subsite b ...

and was ranked the 94th best prospect in his class. Nickens committed to Maryland on June 16, 2013.

College career

As a freshman, Nickens came off the bench on Maryland's first NCAA tournament team under coach

Mark Turgeon Mark Leo Turgeon (born February 5, 1965) is an American college basketball coach. Turgeon served as the head men's basketball coach at Jacksonville State University from 1998 to 2000, Wichita State University from 2000 to 2007, Texas A&M Uni ...

. He scored 14 points in the first round match against Valparaiso. He averaged 6.1 points per game as a freshman, shooting 39% from behind the arc. As a sophomore, Nickens scored in double figures seven times, including a 14-point performance against

South Dakota State South Dakota State University is a public land-grant research university in Brookings, South Dakota. Founded in 1881, it is the state's largest and most comprehensive university and the oldest continually-operating university in South Dakota. The ...

in the NCAA Tournament. After the season, Nickens and teammate Jaylen Brantley popularized the dance craze "

Running Man Challenge "My Boo" is the only single released by Ghost Town DJ's. It was released on Jermaine Dupri's So So Def label and Columbia. The song, an invite by a female to a male, blends R&B-style vocals over a bass beat. It was written by Carlton Mahone and R ...

," which became a viral sensation. The two appeared on ''

The Ellen DeGeneres Show ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' (often shortened to ''Ellen'' or ''The Ellen Show'') is an American daytime television variety comedy talk show that was created and hosted by its namesake Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it was pr ...

''. He received fewer minutes during his junior season due to the arrival of

Kevin Huerter Kevin Joseph Huerter (; born August 27, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "Red Velvet", he played college basketball for the Maryland Terrapins me ...

and a poor shooting start to the season. Nickens scored in double figures once, with 12 points in a victory against

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

. Despite not playing much as a junior, Nickens hit the game-tying three-point shot which resulted in an 84–76 win against

Iowa Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wiscon ...

. As a senior, Nickens had an increased role due to the season-ending injury to Justin Jackson. During a five-game stretch during the middle of his senior season, Nickens endured a shooting slump in which he went 6 of 27 and 2 of 19 on three-pointers. In the next five games, he improved his shooting to 17 of 33 and 13 of 26 on three-pointers. During this improved shooting streak, Nickens scored 13 points in a 74–70 loss to

Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a public state-related land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvania. Founded in 1855 as the Farmers' High ...

on February 7, 2018. He averaged 5.1 points and 1.4 rebounds per game as a senior and shot 41.3 percent from behind the arc. Nickens did not reach the NCAA Tournament as a senior but finished his career as the eighth-most prolific three-point shooter in school history.

Professional career

Nickens participated in a workout with the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Ea ...

in preparation for the NBA draft. He took part in the training camp for the

Rio Grande Valley Vipers The Rio Grande Valley Vipers are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in Edinburg, Texas, and are affiliated with the Houston Rockets. The Vipers play their home games at the Bert Ogden Arena. The Vipers have won fo ...

of the

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA De ...

. On October 29, 2018, Nickens signed with the

St. John's Edge The St. John's Edge are an inactive Canadian professional basketball team based in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, and compete in the National Basketball League of Canada. From 2017 to 2020, they played home games at Mile One Centre. T ...

NBL Canada The National Basketball League of Canada (NBL Canada; french: Ligue nationale de basketball du Canada) is a Canadian professional men's minor league basketball organization. The NBL Canada was founded in 2011, when three existing Premier Basketb ...

. In the 2018–19 season, Nickens averaged 7.4 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 0.4 assists per game. He was named to the NBLC All-Rookie Team. He signed with the

in 2019.

References

External links

Maryland Terrapins bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nickens, Jared 1994 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in Canada American men's basketball players Basketball players from New York City KW Titans players Maryland Terrapins men's basketball players Small forwards Sportspeople from Brooklyn St. John's Edge players Westtown School alumni